Roberta Baumgardner
Roberta Alison Baumgardner (born December 13, 1943 in Alexander City; died March 27, 2009 in Alexander City) was a tennis player and the first female athlete to attend the University of Alabama on an athletic scholarship.
Alison was the daughter of James Calhoun Alison and Elisabeth Russell Alison of Alexander City.
The offer from coach Jason Morton, extended in 1963, required special permission from the Southeastern Athletic Conference. She lettered twice and compiled a record of 39 wins and 14 defeats in three season's on the Alabama Crimson Tide tennis team. Some of her wins came by default as other teams forfeited rather than risk losing to a female player. She won the women's collegiate singles titles in 1962 and 1963 and paired with Justina Bricka of Missouri for the 1963 doubles title. On the American tennis circuit she won doubles titles in 1962, 1963 and 1965.
After graduating, Alison married Carl Baumgardner, who had taken over for Morton as Alabama's tennis coach. (speculation in need of verification)--> Alison was part of the first class inducted into the University of Alabama Tennis Hall of Fame. She is also a member of the Southern Lawn Tennis Hall of Fame, the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame, and the Women's Intercollegiate Tennis Hall of Fame. Alabama holds an annual "Roberta Alison Baumgardner Fall Classic" in her honor.
After retiring from competitive tennis, she married and returned to Alexander City. Heir to a sizable portfolio of Russell Corporation stock, she became well known for her philanthropic work and civic activities. She founded the Lake Martin Humane Society and the Calison Foundation. Baumgardner died from injuries sustained in a fire at her home in Alexander City. She is interred in the Russell section of the Alexander City Cemetery.
References
- "UA's first woman on scholarship dies" (March 27, 2009) The Birmingham News
External links
- Roberta Baumgardner at Findagrave.com